Away With Him

17 - The Darkest Showers

Light seeped into the miniscule gaps between my eyelids. My head felt heavy and the temptation to let it drop back onto the pillow was enticing, but instead I forced myself into a seated position. That was a mistake. A searing pain shot through the back of my head as soon as I was upright. I clutched the back of my head to try to soothe it but to no avail.

My vision was a bit blurred but I could tell that I was in my bedroom. Dark amber and gold rays of sun crept in under the heavy curtains over the windows.

"How did I get here?" I whispered to myself quietly, but I soon regretted speaking. The question came out of my mouth sounding hoarse and raspy. I struggled for a few moments with a coughing fit, only further enflaming my sore throat.

A high pitched ringing sound lingered in my right ear. Every time it seemed like it was fading away it would suddenly get louder again. I pressed the index finger of my free hand against my ear in a vain attempt to get it to go away. But it sounded like it was getting louder. And the pain in my head was radiating all around. Spreading through my skull. I lay back down, pulling the bedsheet up to completely cover my face. I don't know if the darkness actually helped the pain or if I just convinced myself that it should help, but I started to feel a bit better as I waited for sleep to hit me. But it never did.

There was a soft knock on the door followed by Max's voice chorusing gently "Riley, you should probably get up now." I rolled over to face the door, letting out a groan.

"Do I have to?" I moaned and I heard Max laugh. He walked across the room and pulled open the curtains, allowing daylight to flood into the room.

"You have to get up. You've already missed breakfast. By the way, your mom's pancakes are amazing," he said and I felt his presence hovering over my body.

"Wh-what time is it?" I managed to say through a yawn as I finally sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

"12:29," he replied, glancing at his watch.

"She hasn't made pancakes in ages." I leaned over and kissed my boyfriend on the cheek but clutched my head in my hands when I withdrew. A new wave of pain came washing over me. "Ahhh! My head hurts so much," I wretched, grasping hairs between my fingers.

"I'm not surprised." Max offered his hand and helped me to my feet. But I bent over and rested my head on my bed because it was still throbbing with pain. "You had a lot to drink last night. You were a mess."

"I was fine," I responded, slowly straightening myself and standing up. "Ow!" I screeched, cradling my head again.

Max placed his hand on my head and started rubbing in a small circles. I rested my ear against his chest and I could hear his heart beating.

"No. You were out of it," He laughed, "You should probably apologise and say thank you to Autumn."

"For what?" I asked dumbfounded.

"For getting you home last night. Riley, you couldn't stand up on your own. You still can't. We basically carried you up the stairs. We were very lucky that your parents didn't wake up"

Max lowered his chin to make eye contact with my guilty looking face. I couldn't help but smile and Max rolled his eyes at me. I quickly kissed him again, this time on the lips, before he could say another word.

"Thank you, apparently," I said begrudgingly.

"You couldn't stop shouting about how it was the best night of your life," Max divulged. I felt my face heat up as I blushed and bowed my head to avoid Max's eyeline.

"It was a good night, right?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and playfully winking at him.

"Of course," Max rolled the r when he spoke. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him, my bare chest rubbing against his t-shirt.